reoviYes;, strengthen& the souL 8. .And, a6 a riwr of H.vi11g water; abide,. A pool, • shallow stream, dries, up, but a river goes on for ever, 'fhe permanence, therefore, of the grace of Christ is thas set forth. 4. And thia gifC is the very one man ·needa. A gift. may be ever tlO valnable, but if I do not want it I do not feel the love which offers it,; Hut if 1 do need it, if it be the very gift of all others which I need; then he who comes t.o•me with just that does show his good will. And tbllll is it with this gift. It is no mere temporary and temporal gift, but ene eternal and spiritual, suited to me as an immortal being destined to dwell in the presence of God. Seeing what a shred of my entire existence is my lire here, wonld it have hem a token of real love for me if, instead of that which is given, l had been granted all manner of mere earthly good? But "God commendeth his love towards us," not only in the gift he offers, but in- . IL THE ·MANNER 01' TBB OPHJUNG, For: 1. T/uJ invitation i, repeatedly gillffl. The Spirit, the bride, and every one who hears, is to- say, "Come." An immense significance lies in the manner of an invitation. One can learn much as to the sincerity of him who gives it by noting how he giveti it. If, then, he repeat it again and again, as this invitation is repeated, I cannot doubt as to the real desire that it should be accepted. And this is sren : 2. In the messenger• who are entrusted •t() giw lhu invila-- ti@. They are ao 'Well qualified to give it effectually. (1) The Spirit. He is in full aympathy with the Giver of it. He is the Holy Spirit of God: A messenger may nullify the effect of a message if he have no sympathy with him who sends it; but if he have such sympathy, is, as the giver, deeply desirous that it should be accepted, tben wHh what force will he urge it I And so it is here. Does he not urge it on us, plead with us to acce1,t it? We know he does. And he has 1ki1l and tat:t to urge it wisely and eJfoctua.lly. Ah I what clumsy messengers we often are who have to give this message! Wbat mistakes we make I How faultily and imperfectly we do our work! But be, the blel!lttld Spirit of Go,!, makes no such mistake. He knows when, where, and how to best urge on us this messRge of God's great love. And he has, too, lmuwledge of our character and circumstances. He will not address one character in a way suited only to another, as we oft&n do, He will not come at a most nnfit time_ but will choose the ·best time. And he hcts constant acctBI to us. When the doors of the church are closed, the Suuday over, and the sacred servioes have come to an end; when the preacher and those to whom he speaks have sepe.rated-he shut off from them and they from l,im; then the Spirit of God can come to us, does come oftentimes, in the !llence of the night, in the intervals of business, in lonely,quiet hours when none but he can come. 'l'hus qualliied is one of these messengers who are sent. Does not the send- ing of such a m868ellger prove the sinoerity of him who sends the mel!B&ge? Then : (2) The bride. She also is to say, "Come.• And who is the bride, but the company of Christ's redeemed, they who know by actual ~ena the preciousness and the power of this " water of life "? He who bath taken of this water knows it& life-giving power. They can tell what Christ has done for them. n was the healed ones who, when our Lord was here on,earth, sent multitudes more io him. And they are bidden do the lib now.. '!'hey are to say to the yet unhealed, " Come.'' And they are prompted to do this by mighty motives-gratitude, compassion, desire for Christ's approval, which depends upon their fidelity to this commis.~ion. (8) And Mm that hearetl,, is to repeat the message. If this direction bad but been obeyed, heathendom would not now be IO vast as it is, nor will it long continue so if we now will but obey this word. What more could he, whose message it is, have done to secure its :romulgation and it•· acceptance ? 8. The form of the message. It is "Come," not "Go. It means that they who -deliver h are first to go themselves, and then bid others eome likewise. Many are perpetually saying to others," Go;" but if they do not come themselves, those othera are not likely to heed their word. The Scotch mother, in the well-known engraving, wanti11g her child to croBB the brawling stream, goes first herself, and shows her where to put her trembling feet, now on this stone and now on that and that, and llO the timid little one, seeing her mother go first, comes after her. Parents, so must it be with you and your children if you want them to be brought to Christ. You m11st go first, and say," Come," and then they will follow. 11!. THE WAY Il!f WHIOH HINDRANCES TO IT8 BEING ACCEPTED ARB BET AND PROVIDED AGAINST, Such hindrances are: 1. Doubts as to who an in?Jited. But such doubts snt met by " Whosoever wilL" None can iih.ut themselves out of that •• whosoever," But ou. un. 1-21.] THE REVELATION OP ST. JOHN THE· DIVINE., 569 ·
iUs added, "alld let him that is athirat.". Such are very often the 18$.to believe th8' the water of life is for them. Their very need and longing make them think such an offer 111 this is "too good to be tru~" And by this apecial reference M> them this doubt is met; cf. the angel's word on Easter Day, "~ tell hia dieciplea and Peler," He was the one who most of all needed. and longed to know that he had not lost nt.terly his Lord's love; and the Lord knew that, and so sent &- specie.I meseage to him. And so it is here; the "athirst" are specially,called. 2. Re~uirem1ml qf qualijicatiou. Wet\, such demanded, many could not come, but every body can take a gift. Hence it is said, let him. take " frooly." 3. Doubt a,s. k> .J1K1ti11U. How many distress themselves by, ecrutinizing the motives which. lead• them to desire the Lord's grace I "Have I repentea enougn, prayed enough, felt the evil of sin enough," etc.? But no question will be,uked as to motives. U is "whosoever will." No matter how you came to will,. to desire, the water of life, whether it were hope or fear, or you know not what. all that is needed is th_at you should desire it, and there it is for you. •. Com;1.usION. I. Does not God by. all this commend his love to ua? 2. Shall w• not com~ at once? 3, If we never come, whose fault will it be ?-S. 0. . .. · \'